Sesshoumaru's Ice Finally Melts
by Ashurei Akuma
Summary: Sesshoumaru, the most feared and powerful demon in Japan, has the ice around his heart melted by a new character with powers unlike any other. SessXoc
1. Chapter 1

**_A/n_**: OMG! I'm so sorry to all my readers who have read my other story Shadow Hyrule, but I've had a really bad writer's block on it. This story came to me though so I hope you like it. It's only my second fanfiction so...yeah XD

Disclaimer: I am doing this ONCE so hear goes. I do not own Inuyasha or anything associated with it. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Though i wish I owned Sesshy! -cryface- But i DO own Akako and Medari :D

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Hiding from this wretched hanyou that was chasing after me was NOT sitting well with me at the moment. One, I had no weapons. Zippo. Nada. Two, I had no idea why the hell he was chasing me in the first place! Apparently I had gotten to close to his "Kagome", whatever the hell that was. So now I was running for my life to find a suitable weapon to turn around and kick his ass with. Trees flew past in a blur as I ran onward and sometimes I was thankful I was a youkai. If I was a human and going at this rate of speed, I would have already been smashed flat against a tree. Nothing bad against humans, I was one of the few youkai who could actually stand humans and not have a bad thing to say about them. Well, except for the fact that they actually DID stink quite a bit.

Finally reaching my hideaway where my weapons were stored I decided on my favorite katana which I had affectionately nicknamed Oriyuu. Laugh all you want but this sword was deadly. Not that I really had time to be thinking of this because I heard that damn hanyou yelling. Again. "Get out here you wench!" he shouted furiously. 'Ahaha yeah. Right. You asked for it buddy', I thought to myself with an evil smirk. Stepping out into the open I raised my hands in what seemed like surrender. "Before you kill me, may I at least know my killer's name?" I asked sickly sweet. I watched as he gave me a 'Is she crazy?' look but I ignored it. For now.

"Keh, the name's Inuyasha, a name you'll be taking to the grave with ya! Kaze no Kizu!" he shouted. 'Inuyasha? Now where have I heard that name before?' I thought as I automatically jumped high into the air and ducking as the hanyou came up trying to slice my head off. I hadn't even bothered to unsheathe Oriyuu yet. What was the point when this hanyou was being so reckless that I could take him out in less than a minute if I so chose to? This guy was getting nowhere in his one-sided fight with me. My patience was wearing thin, as I had somewhere to be right now and instead I was wasting time fooling with a hanyou whelp.

"I'm so sorry to cut this little 'fight' of yours short, Inuyasha, but I'm needed elsewhere at the moment so goodbye," I stated coldly as I unleashed one of Oriyuu's lesser attacks," Kaji no Kirei!" I leaped high into the air as I released the attack and watched as Inuyasha was consumed by the beautiful flames, though I knew they weren't permanent or even fatal for that matter. Breaking off into a sprint as I touched down to land I laughed as I could still clearly hear his cursing me for escaping him. Such an odd hanyou. Now back to the well and Edo.

I arrived in Edo about two hours later, if my calculation of the sun's position in the sky was correct. Not that it really mattered. As per usual the villagers ran screaming at the tops of their lungs the moment they saw me until one of the 'warriors' recognized me. "Ahh it's you Akako! CALM DOWN EVERYONE! IT IS ONLY LADY AKAKO!" he yelled so the rest of them could hear. They finally settled down and the children who had been hiding behind their mothers came forth and ran to me to give me hugs. Ah such was the norm for this village. Now where in the Kami knows where is Kaede? And feeling stupid for only asking that in my head, I turned to the nearest child," Excuse me, but do you know where Lady Kaede is?" The boy nodded and proceeded to drag me off til we were outside her hut. "Thank you little one," I smiled thankfully and patted him on the head as he just smiled in reply and ran off to join his friends.

Walking into the hut I was not surprised to see Kaede concocting yet ANOTHER herbal mixture of hers. Honestly does she never tire of doing that? Mixing herbs in all her old age? Well old age as far as humans were concerned. "At it again, are we old friend?""Indeed, Akako, ye know me so well!" she smiled a toothy grin as she set down the bowl and clasped her hands in her lap, "but what brings ye here?" And so I explained to her about Medari, a young traveling companion I had, and her current condition. Thankfully Kaede new just what to do about this.  
I left her hut after giving her a warm hug and was almost at the edge of the village when I heard the villagers gasp, some in delight. Unfortunately for me, I had no time to look because something, or someone rather, slammed into me. Backflipping and landing perfectly on my feet, I glared at my attacker. I was surprised to see Inuyasha, and even more surprised to see a miko, taijiya, monk, fire neko, and young kitsune demon with him. "Why you wench! What the hell do you think you're doing here!" Inuyasha hollered. Well damn, you'd think the guy thought I was deaf. However, I ignored him completely and jumped over him to stand in front of his friends.

"Please tell me yoru little friend here isn't always like this?" I asked them. I stood there taking in their appearances. The miko wore strange clothes: a short green skirt, white blouse with a red tie thing and green over her shoulders too. Her hair was black and her eyes were brown and she wore funny shoes with white socks. The taijiya wore her youkai slaying outfit, it was black andk pinkish red with a wakezashi in the belt. She also had a giant boomerang on her back. The monk wore a purple robe and had a glove-like part over his right hand with prayer beads. He also held a staff with him. All three were staring at me though the miko had for some reason decided to come closer. I raised and eyebrow but made no further movement and continued to examine the little group. The fire neko seemed to have a special bond to the taijiya and the kitsune seemed to have a special bond with the miko.

"So you're who Inuyasha was fighting earlier and who set him on fire? Thanks! Anyway, my name is Kagome, my friends are Sango the Demon Slayer, Miroku the Perverted Monk (HEY!-Miroku), Kirara the Two-Tailed Fire Cat, and Shippou the Fox Demon," she grinned as she infromed me of who they were. Such a peculiar group they were. They seemed nice enough though. Except for that annoying hanyou brat Inuyasha. As it was, I nodded my head in acknowledgement to show that I heard her. Knowing her next question would be what my name was, I answered her in one word. "Akako." I heard Inuyasha come up behind me and then splutter as I revealed my name. "Akako? But thats impossible! Well not really but I didn't think I would actually meet you! You're the demoness who got rid of those huge demons in the north!" he exclaimed with wide eyes. Instead of really answering him I gave a short nod and sighed inaudibly. It seemed that many had heard of my accomplishments in the north.

"Indeed, but I must go now. See you around Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Kirara, Shippou, and Miroku," I said with little to no emotion as I walked away. I had to get to Medari. She was a two-tailed neko like Kirara but she was a darkness neko. While Kirara was cream-colored with orange fire, Medari was black and had blood red flames. I missed my little friend dearly and I knew she needed this medicine that Kaede had kindly fixed up for me.

Twenty minutes later found me at where I had stowed Medari away to keep her safe. "Medari?" I called out quietly. No answer. Not that I had expected an answer but she should have at least mewled or something, right? Something felt a bit off though, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. This cave I had stowed her in was pretty deep though. Worried that something had happened to her, I unblocked my senses and flared my aura to see if anyone was there. And someone was there. I just didn't know who. I cautiously stepped further into the cave and went in far enough to see the shadow of flames dancing on the far wall with Medari curled comfortably in the corner. But I hadn't set a fire. So who had? "Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked a voice as cold as ice, making my eyes widen in almost fear as I turned around and recognized the person in front of me.

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**_A/N_**: If you guys see errors in punctuation or a "c" missing in some words, please inform me! the "c" key on my laptop came off so i have to press the little thingy to get it to type the letter. Sorry for mistakes! please hit the review button but pleeeaasse no flames. **They hurt**. DX


	2. Chapter 2

Ash: Hey guys! thank you for the reviews (: i know I haven't gotten many but I think I just need to get more of this story done. i am now working on both thi story and Shadow Hyrule, so please be patient if i don't upload as fast. Sesshoumaru may get out of character in this story once in a while, but if the story is to proceed accordingly, then he can't ALWAYS be a oldhearted prick! thats what this story is for :D to melt his iy heart (:

Sesshoumaru: Who has an Icy heart?

Ash: you do. duh. who else would I be talking about?

Jaken: you insolent wench! how dare you speak to my lord like that!

Rin: oh hush master Jaken! Lady Ashurei did not mean any harm. She just mean t that Lord Sesshoumaru acts indifferent most of the time even though he's actually kind (:

Ash: Thank you Rin. Anyways, heres Chapter 2! :D

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I gulped quietly as I turned and saw a white and red haori. With spiked armor. Oh. Damn. I was in trouble now. Looking up slowly I came face to face with the most feared Demon Lord in all of feudal era Japan. Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru. Fortunately I mastered the act of schooling my face into a stoic mask long ago, as this is what I did now. Then again, I always did except when around Kaede. However, I had no time for such thoughts as I heard the challenging growl that emitted from Lord Sesshoumaru as he was waiting for an answer. Leaving an extremely powerful Inuyoukai such as himself unanswered would be a very poor decision on my part, one I was not about to make.

Bowing low to where my long hair almost swept the ground I humbly apologized, "Gomen nasai, Lord Sesshoumaru, but I had been in this cave before because I hid my friend Medari here. She is very ill at the moment and I had left to retrieve medicine for her illness. I did not know that you would be here. If you would be so...generous...as to allow me to take Medari and leave, I would be grateful." Lord Sesshoumaru stood there gazing down at me without emotion. My back started to hurt from bowing and keeping my head down for so long, but I made no sound or movement. A few more minutes went by before Sesshoumaru finally spoke, "There is no need to leave as you were here first. I and my pack will stay here for the night though with you. We will depart in the morning. I do have a question for you as well. And you may stand and raise your head, you've been in that position for far too long." Giving an inaudible sign of relief, I stood and watched as he turned on his heel to go back deeper in the cavern (I'm just going to call it cavern since I can't say open space as there is no sky showing inside the cave). I followed him slowly and was sincerely surprised to find that in the cavern was a young human girl. And a very energetic one at that.

"Oh Lord Sesshoumaru you're back! We've missed you mi'lord!" she greeted cheerfully as she ran to hug him around the leg. I stood there watching the exchange as he gently patted her head and then went and sat down against the cavern wall. His eyes wandered over to me and he inclined his head as if giving me permission to enter. I decided to go over and give Medari her medicine. As I fed Medari her herbs, the little girl decided to come over and see who I was. "Hello pretty lady! May Rin ask what your name is?" she asked politely. Hm. So her name was Rin. "My name is Akako. And my little friend here is Medari," I answered. I could see why the demon lord kept her around. She was smiling and continued to smile even in her sleep once she went to bed. I had noticed earlier that there was a toad/imp youkai and a dragon youkai in the little group. Rin had told me earlier that the toad was named Jaken and the dragon was AhUn.

As everyone settled down for the night, I sat down opposite Lord Sesshoumaru and propped my knee up much in the same fashion as he had. the difference was that I had taken the liberty to unsheathe Oriyuu and polish it as the night wore on. I was not sleepy tonight and I wasn't about to let it go to waste. Nor was I about to allow Oriyuu to become dull. Sensing that the demon lord was watching as I polished my blade, I looked up at him. No matter how much Sesshoumaru thought he could mask ALL emotions, it wasn't good enough to fool me. I could see appreciation in his eyes at how I handled my weapon with great care and took time when sharpening and cleaning it.

Eventually I set the katana aside and raised an eyebrow questioningly at Sesshoumaru. He seemed to be contemplating something. A few minutes passed before he looked up at me and minutely cocked his head to the side as if asking me what the raised eyebrow was for. I mentally sighed a barely shook my head. The fire was still going so I decided to just stare into it, watching as I made images in it as I would clouds. Silence reigned in the air until, surprisingly, Sesshoumaru broke it by asking me a question. "Youkai, why do you travel with only a two-tail shadow neko? Do you not have a pack?" he inquired. Sitting there for a few seconds thinking of an answer, I was in shock that he had actually spoken to me without having spoken to him first.  
"No, actually, I do not have a pack to travel with mi'lord. I've always been on my own. I have tried many times to find a pack with which to travel with, but my quiet nature is not for only that, but once they see for the first time how much power I hold, they either flee in fear or become hostile as if I would challenge the leader for his role. So i have chosen to travel alone with Medari. She is the only being to never judge me and/or run away," I explained in a quiet whisper. Normally this was not a subject anyone broached upon. Lord Sesshoumaru examined me silently while I went back to staring into the fire, having turned to him as I told him my story.

Again he shocked me when he spoke up. "Hn. When morning comes and my pack and I take our leave, you will come with us. Allow this Sesshoumaru to see just how much power you possess. If you do indeed possess an incredible amount of power as you indirectly state, then you would be this Sesshoumaru's sparring partner. Also, you will care for Rin." Speechless, i wondered idly how long it had been since Sesshoumaru had said that many words in one sentence. Honestly, every youkai, hanyou, and human that knew of the Lord of the Western Lands knew that he was extremely quiet and only spoke as many words as he deemed necessary. Not really knowing what else to do, I nodded my head in consent.

Medari mewled in her spot and in a flash she was in her bigger form. Padding over to me, she layed down against the wall behind me and draped her two tails over my lap. "Thank you Medari," I smiled graciously. Watching the flames until sleep finally consumed me, I couldn't wait until tomorrow.

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Ash: I hope Lord Sesshoumaru is not too out of character here. please forgive me if he is. anyways, R&R please! Ja ne (:


	3. Chapter 3

Ash: haha has anyone noticed that both Sesshoumaru and Rin talk in third person? maybe Rin talks that way BECAUSE of Sesshoumaru XD Anyway, i'm sorry for not updating sooner. i get so caught up reading other fanfics that I forget about my own sometimes XD also I have been trying to work on Shadow Hyrule. if you've read this story and not that one, please check it out. It's not too good in the beginning but i've improved in the later chapters. anyways, ON WITH THE STORY!

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~Sesshoumaru~

Hn. The night had been uneventful. It seems that lesser youkai in this area have learned their place. It was now just becoming dawn when I decided we needed to get moving. Kicking Jaken in the side to wake the annoying toad up, I ordered him to awaken Rin. In turn, Rin would awaken the onna, Akako. We would reach my castle today as I planned to rest there for a few weeks before continuing on to patrol my lands and check out claims of a mysterious youkai being seen in the Dark Forest in my lands. As of now the youkai posed no threat to this Sesshoumaru, but I would check it out none-the-less.

I heard Rin yawn sleepily as she shuffled over to Akako and shook her gently. The youkai onna must have been a light sleeper because she opened her eyes the second the little ningen onna grasped her shoulder. "Hn..What is it Rin?" she yawned. She may be a light sleeper, but she was obviously tired. I wonder how long it's been since she has slept? Then again, why do i care? I don't. "Lord Sesshoumaru is ready to leave, Lady Akako! Come or we'll be left behind!" chirped Rin as she pulled Akako into a standing position. I wathed as the youkai onna smiled at the little girl while packing up. My eyes widened slightly in surprise when I heard Rin's question.

"Lady Akako, may I piggy-back ride on you?" she asked sweetly. Akako chuckled and picked her up swinging her onto her back, "Of course! Hey, mi'lord, do you think maybe we can run the rest of the way? I'm sure Jaken could ride on AhUn and Rin would love to feel the wind in her hair from running." They both gave me puppy dog eyes, Rin with her chocolate doe eyes and Akako with her sapphire ones. However, I had one flaw to her plan. "And what of Medari, onna?" I asked stoically. Well, that certainly surprised her. She did not show it but I could sense her change in scent. "Oh yes, I had almost forgotten about her. But no matter, she enjoys running beside me," Akako replied with a fanged grin. I almost sighed but managed to keep my composure. "Very well then. Let's go," I ordered.

~Akako~

Finally I could see the castle in the distance! I was far from sleepy but Rin was tiring rapidly. Putting on a burst of speed, I passed Sesshoumaru and leaped into the tree tops. You'd think running on the ground would be easier right? Wrong. On the ground were pebbles and rocks that could puncture your feet! I mean sure the bark on the branches of trees burned a little bit but nothing compared to a punctured foot! I would know. I sighed as I felt little Rin's head droop onto my shoulder. The adorable girl had fallen asleep. Not that I could blame her, we HAD after all been traveling for at least five hours straight.

"Onna."

"Iie, my name is not onna. I respect you mi'lord but though I am not your equal I also demand respect."

I watched as Lord Sesshoumaru's eyes widened minutely before turning my head to face the direction I was going. We were now at the gates and Sesshoumaru walked ahead of me as the guards allowed us to pass. "JAKEN!" Sesshoumaru growled out, " bring the on- Akako to her room and bring Rin to hers." Ah so the Taiyoukai has decided to use my name. I wonder why though? I hadn't exactly been very respectful when I told him that I demand respect. Hmm...  
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WHOA! This room was enormous! Against the walls were ornate cherrywood dressers. In the almost middle of the room was a huge bed. There were two other closed doors and a very nice set of sliding doors with a fantastic view of the gardens. The only thing I DIDN'T like about this room was that it was...dare I say it?...COMPLETELY WHITE! I loathe the color white! Well, by itself anyway. The only color in the room came from the dressers. -sigh- It seemed I would be taking this up with Sesshoumaru. I refuse to be in a room with white everywhere! Making up my mind, I spun on my heel to find the quiet Taiyoukai.

Finally getting it out from Jaken of where his Lord was as of right now, I stormed over to the door and knocked hard twice. Not even bothering to wait for him to answer I barged right in, not caring if he was busy or not. Golden orbs glared at me as Sesshoumaru registered that I had just intruded into his study without permission. "What are you doing in here wench?" he hissed dispassionately at me. Well two could play that game! "If you must know I came here to inform you that I refuse to sleep in a completely white room! It makes me claustrophobic!" I exclaiimed angrily. Howver, I almost laughed when I saw the confusion on his face. Almost. "Wench what in the seven hells is claustro-...whatever that word was!" he spat out. I smirked as I realized the great Lord Sesshoumaru had no idea what claustrophobia was. Hehe, maybe I could use this to my advantage.

"Claustrophobic means being very uncomfortable in small enclosed spaces. Actually, if I remember correctly, weren't you in a situation like that when you were much younger? Getting pushed into a dark hole by that assinine hanyou Inuyasha? Your brother, is he not? Ahh yes I remember that day. You were shaking like a leaf! 'Oh Chichuie Inuyasha pushed me!' Heh, maybe now you see why I won't sleep in a white room!" I taunted, forgetting that he knew nothing of who I really was. Forgetting that I had just given away part of my identity. Damn it.

"How do you know about any of that?" he asked, venom dripping off of every syllable. Aw crap I had only meant to try and get a different room, not to completely piss him off! I swear the kamis hate me! "Uhm...well you see..what happened was..uhm..I'll be going back to my room now! Bye!" I said hurriedly as I tried to escape. Key word: tried. The second I turned to make a run for it, Sesshoumaru was in front of me and had slammed me into the nearest wall, pinning me. Anger flared in his eyes, not even his stoic mask could hide his furyy. Obviously it had truly been a bad event in his childhood. Maybe that's a reason he hates Inuyasha so much? I know I would if he had done something like that to me!

"You, wench, will refrain from EVER mentioning that event ever again! Now tell me how you know about it! You are not leaving this room until you give me answers!" he snarled. Well, wasn't this a pleasant day for me? I mean, really, all I had wanted was a different room! But I just HAD to open up my big mouth. -sigh- "If you want answers then I suggest you start using my name from now on Sesshoumaru!" I snapped back at him. That's when I realized my mistake in that statement. I had forgotten to say Lord. Eh oh well. He could live with it. Unfortunately, his face came closer to mine as he hissed in my ear, " For some reason, Akako, you intrigue me. So I will not kill you. But be warned girl, you are treading on thin ice. Now instead of answering my original question which I WILL get the answer to some other time, explain to me why you felt the need to barge in here uninvited."  
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~Sesshoumaru~

How dare this onna barge in here like she owns the place! Her words angered me and my anger was fueled even more when she tried to leave without being dismissed. She really was a curious creature though. I smelled no fear in her scent, only apprehension and nervousness. Deciding I wouldn't kill her, I said to her, "For some reason, Akako, you intrigue me. So I will not kill you. But be warned girl, you are treading on thin ice. Now instead of answering my original question which I WILL get the answer to some other time, explain to me why you felt the need to barge in here uninvited." I watched as she started to...blush? She explained to me about her room as I worked on firguring out what she smelled like. It wasn't a bad smell. A very nice one actually, as hard as that was for me to admit, even to myself.

Thats when it clicked. Her scent. She smelled of cinnamon and butter. Ah yes cinnamon butter. As her explanation came to a conclusion I nodded my head to show I had been listening. "Very well then, tell Jaken of what you wish and also, if he doesn't do as you say, I will punish him personally," she turned to leave but I grabbed her wrist, "your room will not be ready until afternoon tomorrow, so where do you plan on sleeping, Akako?" Her brow creased at that as she thought about it. Eventually she just shrugged with an air of indifference. "Outside? I don't know, why don't you tell me where I should or could sleep?"

I thought about it for a moment, but only one room came to mind. And that was my own chambers. Realizing that maybe it wouldn't be so bad since her scent was essectially calming, I voiced my suggestion aloud. She gasped and flushed but accepted my offer. I called a maid to preppare Akako for bed and strode back to my bedchambers. Kami this was going to be a long night. Oh how much I wish I could have known beforehand how right I was...

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I hope you guys liked this (: oh and I have seen that some of you fellow fanfictioners favorite or alert my story, but don't review. Do me a favor and leave a review ok? I prefer long ones but short ones are okay too! Reviews are what keep me writing! or..typing...either way they keep me going (: Thank you to all who read this story the next chapter will be out ASAP. I love you all! R&R Pleas!


	4. Chapter 4

Ash: OMG I'm SO sorry I haven't updated! Please forgive me! I've had EXTREMELY bad writer's block, especially for my other story Shadow Hyrule! I will update sooner this time.

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A storm raged on through the night, which kept me wide-awake and none too happy. The onna, Akako, slept peacefully at my side undisturbed. It slightly surprised me that Rin had not yet come running into the room, begging me to let her sleep in here for the night. Then again, the thunder wasn't very loud to human ears yet. Perhaps that is why.

Many thoughts were running through my head at the moment, such as why I even allowed this young demon girl to tag along with my Pack and I. Maybe my Beast had something to do with my decision. He always seems to be able to influence them. Stupid mongrel.

'Who are you calling stupid, Sesshy?'

'You, Beast, now stop calling me that and shut the hell up!'

' I'll leave you alone for now Mr. Obnoxious, but only because Rin is about to burst in here. Three, two, o-'

"-Sesshoumaru-sama!" cried Rin as she flung open the doors and launched herself onto the bed, promptly causing Akako to sit straight up in alarm. Akako looked around in a panic and calmed down when she realized there was no danger. "Phew, Rin you scared me!" she laughed as she hugged the little girl. Rin clung to her with wide fearful eyes, which closed immediately as a loud boom of thunder rolled across the sky. I could see Akako wince as the sound hurt her ears as it did mine.

"I already know the question, and yes you may sleep in here with us Rin. Now both of you, lay back down and go to sleep. I will not repeat myself either," I stated contentedly. Contentedly? I didn't even know I held such an emotion. Oh well, I can ponder that later when I have nothing better else to do than read stupid scrolls.

~Akako~

Warmth and comfort were the first two feelings I became aware of when I returned to consciousness. I was laying across something hard but soft to the touch and something warm and fuzzy was wrapped around me. As one sapphire eye peeked open, I saw flesh. I opened both eyes and looked up to see magenta stripes and a serene face covered by silver hair. I quickly stifled my laughter when I realized it was Lord Sesshoumaru.

Between us I felt something, or someone, stir. Looking down, I saw a bunch of dark hair. Oh that's right! Rin was scared last night! Oh wait, she's talking to me. "Akako-sama! Ohayo!" she greeted me with a smile. I put a finger to my lips and darted my eyes up and back, and she got the hint. Keep quiet and let the Ice King sleep.

Slowly sliding off the bed and walking to the closet, I slipped inside and quickly exchanged my sleeping yukata for a purple kimono with bright green leaves in a falling pattern. A turquoise obi accented the kimono, and I went back into the bedroom to find Rin gone, most likely to her own room, and Sesshoumaru still sleeping.

I smiled as I shut the doors to his chambers as quietly as possible. The poor demon lord never got enough sleep, so I would let him rest for now. I shuffled silently down the hall and thankfully ran into a kind servant who escorted me downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast.

~Normal~

Rin skipped into the dining hall with renewed vigor from her good night's sleep. She sat at the table as some of the servants brought out human food for her and some sort of salad for Akako. Rin sighed as she noticed some of the servant demo nesses giving Akako a look of hatred. Although Lord Sesshoumaru wasn't aware of it, Rin was perfectly capable of identifying who was friend and foe in this palace. Many demonesses hated Rin for the fact that she was a little human girl.

Akako was attentive enough to also notice the hostility of the other demons. She was not naïve enough to believe they'd actually welcome her here. She shook her head as she ate her salad and looked up periodically to check that Rin was eating all her breakfast.

As the two were almost finished eating, two other demo nesses came in. They looked to be twins. One woman had ice blue hair and a snowflake patterned night blue kimono on with a white obi. The other woman had fire red hair with flame patterns on her blazing red kimono, and orange obi keeping it held together.

"Kaji-san, Yuuki-san!" shouted Rin as she jumped up and hugged them each in turn. They both smiled warmly at the child and then turned to Akako. "Ah, Lady Akako, it is a pleasure to meet you," Kaji bowed in respect. "Indeed, we never though we'd meet you. It seems fortune favors us this day," added Yuuki as she followed suit. Akako was greatly surprised at their open greeting but quickly slipped her mask of indifference into place. She nodded slowly to show she heard them and returned the greeting silently.

"Akako-sama, will you come play with us in the garden? Onegai!: Rin pleaded as she headed toward the door. Sighing inwardly, Akako answered by following the child outside. Yuuki and Kaji came as well, and then a squawking Jaken. Rin decided she wanted to play tag and within minutes Jaken was waddling on his small legs chasing everybody.

~Sesshoumaru~

Burning. That irritating burning sensation. It wouldn't go away! I finally just gave in and opened my eyes. Too bright! I closed them again, took a deep breath, and opened them again, slowly this time. Something was missing. I just knew it. I couldn't figure out what though. That's when my memories of the day and night before flooded back into my brain.

Akako and Rin were supposed to be here! So where were they now? If either of them are gone, I'll have Jaken's head!

Storming out of my chambers I quickly descended the stairs. I watched as servants scurried around and then scattered when they felt my threatening enraged aura. One of the older servants, Majinta, quickly came forward. "Mi'lord, please calm down! Lady Akako and young Rin are safe, they have already eaten and are playing in the gardens with Jaken, Kaji, and Yuuki. You need not worry Lord Sesshoumaru."

The red that had seeped into my eyes slowly receded as I came back to my senses. So they were safe. That was the main thing. I let out a small sigh of relief and inhaled. I almost choked on the scent I picked up! That hanyou whelp was near here!

~With the InuTachi~

"Uhmm, Inuyasha? Do you really think this is such a good idea? We've already crossed into your half-brother's lands, must we really agitate him further by going to his palace?" Kagome asked nervously. Sango and Miroku quickly agreed with her. "Oh please, just shut up! So what if it agitates him? Big deal. I can take him," boasted Inuyasha as he continued toward the looming gate. Shippou gulped and cowered on Kagome's shoulder. "Yeah right, I don't think so," Miroku whispered quietly to Sango as he groped her rear. "PERVERT!" was heard as was a hard slapping sound. Let's just say that Miroku will be out of commission for a while.

They all quieted however when they felt the almost overwhelming angry aura of Inuyasha's half-brother, Sesshoumaru. He seemed pissed and it was too late to run. Kagome silently cursed Inuyasha in her head, 'Damn you Inuyasha…'

* * *

Ah: oooohhh Kagome is mad. What'll happen next? You don't know? I do :D Want to know? REVIEW! please(:


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